10 Minutes to harness the Power of Intentionality

Present State. Desired State. Moving into the Holidays

Do you know how sometimes when we begin to sense the holidays approaching, we feel dread and sometimes we feel totally excited and sometimes we just feel blah??? 

This could have a lot to do with the state of our ANS (Autonomic Nervous System). Since COVID began (and so altered our lives), many of us are feeling symptoms of burnout. It's not just our imagination, we are very possibly having symptoms of stress fatigue. This is what happens when we have a constant stream of the stress hormone cortisol running through our body and making all of its crazy changes.

Interestingly, it turns out we have a lot of control of the state of our nervous system…. (Meaning that we COULD have control…there are ways).  

Simple breathing techniques can teach our body to work increasingly well at realigning to a balanced state. All we have to do is create a habit of stopping to do a Balanced Breathing exercise, 2X a day, for only 2.5 minutes……………….What??      YEP!

 LET'S PLAY!!

First, get settled and do some balanced breathing (meaning 6 seconds in and 6 seconds out in a cozy place by yourself for 2.5 minutes).  Then, take a moment and think about your present mindset about going into the holidays:  

• How do you feel about the approaching holidays?
• What is your story about what is going to happen, good or bad?  
• What are you happy or worried or angry about?
• What scenarios are playing out in your thoughts or dreams?

Now, how do you WANT to feel about the holidays this year? What are your deepest most treasured holiday traditions? Who would you most like to see? What values would you love to be expressing over the next month and a half?  

• Think of your favorite person, living or passed, real or fictional…  
• Think of your favorite pet…
• What is your favorite animal?

Next, write down one word for each of your 3 favorite qualities that best describe first the person, then the pet, then the animal.

Read the list of qualities you wrote:  What would the holidays feel like if you based all of your holiday plans around those 9 values?  

Let the feelings that surround those 9 values fill up your heart, feel them pulsing through your veins. When you feel saturated with it, make a plan, create a new tradition, reach out to someone you really want to be with and invite them to something.  

Take a step towards bringing those values into your life today, right now!